Behind every glamorous career, there is a price to pay. This is especially true for younger stars: at just eleven years old, Daniel Radcliffe became the most famous child in the world. He was the face of Harry Potter, the iconic young wizard born from the imagination of J.K. Rowling. It didn’t matter what he would do once the curtain fell on Hogwarts.
Radcliffe would remain in cinema history, in the hearts of fans, and forever as Harry Potter. The young man grew up on the big screen, navigating even the fragile period of adolescence with the spotlight shining on him. Too much attention and too many expectations drove the young star to seek refuge in alcohol.
Daniel Radcliffe spoke about that delicate and complex time in his life with Phil Schermer, CEO of Project Healthy Minds, in a discussion moderated by PEOPLE: “There have been times in my life when I’ve been deeply unhappy, especially when I was much younger. Today I spent the day with my 3-year-old son, walking down the street, him holding my hand—adorable, funny, and quirky—and I’m so happy. If someone had shown me these moments when I was 20, I wouldn’t have recognized myself.”
Now that the storm has passed, the actor hasn’t forgotten that the scars from a period spent with a bottle in hand have helped shape him into the person he is today. Having found peace, Radcliffe has decided to devote himself to theater, stepping away from film sets to embrace the stage. Even now, it seems that cinema doesn’t quite hold his interest: Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t want his son to become famous!